Desert Storm
by Independence-Day
Summary: When The Black Sand itself rises against its master, Aladdin must rely on his most hated rival just to survive. Rated T for safety
1. Chapter 1

**Disclaimer:** Aladdin and any characters, setting, and locations therein are the sole property of Disney. Raziya, the OC, is my sole property and may not be used without my permission.

**A/N:** I had initially decided not to write this, as I'm swamped with school work and other fics, but as I'm leaving for Disney tomorrow morning, I decided to take a break from Middle Earth and Albion and spend some time in Agrabah. I've always loved Aladdin and this idea came many, many months ago when watching episodes of the old cartoon on Youtube. The months between initial inspiration and this moment were spent researching and writing out an outline, hoping the idea would go away, but alas, it hasn't. In fact, ignoring it seems to have aggravated the plot bunnies and I am now mostly incapable of working on any other stories.

I ask that you consider this fic (1) divinely inspired, as I genuinely liked the idea and OC character enough to fully flesh them both out with research and effort, and (2) a literal nuisance to the now desperate author trying to work on other projects.

As for this chapter, it's the first, and I never claimed to be good at starting things. I like it well enough, but it's light on dialogue and heavy on info dumping. I apologize for that. I tried to at least make it interesting.

Criticism is, as always, genuinely appreciated, but flames will be reported. This shouldn't have to be said.

**Chapter 1: The Eyes are the Windows to the Soul**

If Jasmine was honest, she didn't much like Egyptians.

They were vain people, spending most of their time and effort in shaving and oiling their skin, styling their clothes, perfuming their hair. But, they were wealthy and at the height of their power, and trade with them might ensure an increase in wealth for Agrabah. It was a trade route that should have been opened many years ago, generations before she'd been born, but war and distance had pushed the Egyptians out of mind until recently. The Pharaoh, a woman if rumor was to be believed, was trying to expand her empire's trade and wanted an allegiance with a powerful kingdom, and had sent a messenger asking the Sultan if he were interested.

While her father was not usually too wise when it came to political maneuverings, he had enough foresight and intelligence to know this wasn't an opportunity to be passed up and had responded agreeably, offering the Egyptians free use of some of their mines in exchange for a lower rate. Now Thabit, a vizier to the Pharaoh and de facto ruler of a city called Deshret, was coming with a caravan to begin trade negotiations. Deshret was a small city, situated around an oasis and many miles away from Egypt's capital of Alexandria it was the closest city to Agrabah while still being in Egypt and therefore the perfect city to ship exports through and receive imports from.

As happy as she was that Agrabah might see a decline in poverty, she was still annoyed it was Egyptians that would be the one's to help. Thabit, the vizier, had not improved her attitude towards them, as the first thing the man had said was that he'd wanted to freshen up and change into fresh clothes. While normally Jasmine would be accommodating to this, when Thabit strode out, eyes lined in kohl, dressed in a fine linen skirt and the skin of a leopard she got the distinct feeling he was showing off. After greetings, a light lunch and overly polite conversation, Jasmine escaped the place under the pretense of wanting to greet the caravan that was unloading in the market place. This wasn't a total lie, but she wasn't about to admit that she simply wanted to escape all the pomp and circumstance that surrounded Thabit and trade negotiations.

Leaving Aladdin to keep her father from causing a war, Jasmine made her way down to the market, where the caravans were unloading their stalls and wares. Camels and horses lined the street, tired looking beasts in desperate need of some rest and food. The heat beat down on the dusty market, cooking meat hanging from packs and ropes and making her mouth water. Spices and herbs she'd never seen of waited in barrels and baskets for trade, while jewelers set up stands selling the usual emeralds and rubies, along with other more unusual stones and uncut gems. Most of the linen the Egyptians traded was white and simple in design, but they'd also collected more opulent saris and robes from places like India and Greece, clearly trying to flaunt their wealth and already expansive trade route. Barrels of salted fish she'd never seen before stood open and stinking, and farther down the way a stall selling exotic birds caught Jasmine's eye, as feathers of every color and shape fluttered everywhere. She caught one, a peacock feather, and decided to keep it as a souvenir.

Jasmine loved the market place. She loved the smell, the crowd and press of people, who'd long since gotten used to the sight of the princess wandering. Mostly she loved the traders, meeting people from foreign lands and eavesdropping on stories from distant lands, or sitting in for a few free tales. The Egyptians were no different. They were a family oriented people, and most of them were accompanied by their children and a few with their wives. They stood out from the crowd of Arabs, dressed in their heavy cloaks and shawls. Egyptians were more open about their sexuality, their bodies, and women wore simple, sleeveless dresses underneath their traveling robes, while the men wore skirts.

Finally, after wandering the market for most of the afternoon, Jasmine turned away, as the Egyptian caravan had come to an end and there was nothing left for her to see. She started back towards the palace, smiling at friendly Egyptian faces and dodging around naked, running children, pausing to smile at a woman she'd made eye contact with before continuing on her way. Something made her pause though, mid step, and she glanced back carefully. Something had been familiar about that woman, as though she'd been a friend from a long time ago hat Jasmine had forgotten, something about the shape of her face maybe, or the regal way she carried herself.

Looking back, Jasmine found the woman again and saw she was really no more than a girl, maybe a little older than herself. Helping her father set up his stall for the next day's trading, she didn't look at Jasmine and quietly worked, dodging around two younger siblings as they played around her feet, tangling in her legs. She didn't stand out from the Egyptian crowd much, as the sea of people around her was full of men in white skirts and women in long white dresses like her own, with black hair like hers and smooth, dark skin like hers. Nothing about her seemed too remarkable, and Jasmine had to wonder if maybe the girl just had one of those faces? Or maybe Jasmine had known someone who looked like her?

Possibly sensing she was being stared at or possibly by coincidence, the girl glanced up, their eyes met, and Jasmine's stomach dropped right to her toes while her heart took a fantastic leap for freedom and lodged itself in her throat. Jasmine immediately turned on her heel and started away, the girl's face seared into her memory. She was beautiful, but cold and arrogant looking, with features similar to those of a lion: a long proud nose, a smooth neck and angular eyes, eyes the exact same shape and shade of green as Mirage's.

Jasmine was sheltered, she'd admit, but she was knowledgeable enough to know that Egyptians didn't usually have green eyes, of any shade. Brown and black were normal, with the occasional shade of dark gold in there, but green? No. Not even the Greeks, so much closer to the Egyptians than they were, could provide that shade of green in any sort of inter-marriage.

Jasmine rushed back to the palace, and went straight to the suite she shared with Aladdin, a large opulent room she loved and usually felt right at home in. Despite the desert's heat pressing into the windows, she just felt cold.

Aladdin was sitting at a senet table he'd received as a gift from Thabit and across from him was Genie, looking annoyed. "Al, are you sure you never played this game before?"

"Yes, Genie, I'm sure." Aladdin grinned, making another move and Genie looked annoyed.

"You're a natural!"

"Maybe you're just bad at games?"

"Genie!" Jasmine marched over, ignoring Aladdin's questioning look and said "I need you to find out if Mirage is here. Now."

"What?" Aladdin stood up and moved closer "Did you see her, was there an attack?"

"No, there's a girl in the market with the Egyptians and I swear, Aladdin, she has Mirage's eyes." Jasmine turned to Genie "Same shape, same color… same cruel glint."

Genie shuddered "Oh that's all we'd need, a visit from the Kitty-Cat from Hell."

"Morbia," Squawked Iago as he fluttered into the room. "And why are we talking about her anyways?"

"Jasmine saw a girl who had her eyes in the market place." Aladdin looked at Genie. "Can you find out who she is?"

Genie stretched and cracked his fingers "Some semi phenomenal, nearly cosmic magic should do the trick!" He said, wiggling his fingers. He clicked his fingers and a strange device appeared in his hand, whirring and beeping, with more bells and whistles then Jasmine cared to count. "This little baby knows the magical signature of all our enemies and should be able to tell us if any of them are in the city, disguised or not."

Genie pushed a few random buttons, and familiar faces flashed by on the screen, Mozenrath's cruel leer, Aziz's twisted sneer, Chaos' mischievous' smile, and finally Mirage's fanged grin. Genie pushed a few more buttons, Jasmine waited, and a moment later the light on top flashed green, then red, then shuddered and shut down with a bang. Genie frowned, shook the thing in annoyance and was rewarded with a singed face as the machine exploded in his hand.

Genie frowned and croaked "Must be a bad warranty."

"Genie, is it her or not?" Jasmine asked, ignoring Iago as he lighted down on her shoulder, shooed away from Aladdin's by a jealous Abu.

Genie's face cleared and the busted device disappeared "I don't think so Jazz. We would have known by now, right?"

"Genie has a point, but someone should still keep an eye on her." He eyed Iago and Abu "And I know the perfect thieves to do it…"

"Oh no, not happening." Iago countered "I'm not gonna spy on Mirage."

Abu shook his head "Uh-uh." He chattered.

Genie zoomed over, morphing into a tall, skinny doppelganger of himself wearing a green shirt and brown pants, his hair now long and shaggy "Would you do it for a Scooby Snack?"

Iago wasn't amused "How about blue boy here does it?"

Aladdin and Jasmine frowned, "Two words," said Jasmine tersely "Parrot. Kabob."

Iago lifted off her shoulder "Uh, c'mon monkey, we gotta mission to protect Agrabah. Let's go!" Abu chased after the parrot, chattering unhappily but complying anyways.

It was night before the two returned, covered in dust and spices, and Abu was nursing a wounded tail from having a child tug and pull on it. Jasmine had been tense all day, waiting for them to return, praying she'd only been seeing things or perhaps the girl just had unusual eyes. Something in her gut told her Mirage was connected though, and she had to know. For the safety of Agrabah, she had to know for sure.

The parrot settled quietly at a table and ate a few grapes, while Abu curled up in Aladdin's lap. Jasmine glared at Iago "Well?"

"We aren't sure."

"What?"

"Now look, Princess, before you get your pony tail in a twist let me explain. The girl's magical, that's for sure, and she might be connected to Mirage, but I don't think she is Mirage. Doesn't feel powerful enough; she's an illusionist, and that's Mirage's thing, but little stuff. And she got tired real quick. Even if she was connected to Mirage, she wouldn't pose a threat."

Jasmine shot the parrot a glower that could have made his feather's wilt, if they weren't already dirt covered and dusty. "She could be a spy."

Aladdin frowned "Yeah, but I think we should wait this one out. The Egyptians are leaving in a few days and Iago knows his magic. Genie, keep an ear on the magic around the city. Let us know if anything feels weird, okay?"

"Aye Cap!"

Jasmine frowned "It was so odd, Aladdin, seeing those eyes in such a human face…"

Abu shuddered "Yeah Al," Iago added "It's downright eerie. I might not think she's dangerous, but I know she's weird. Something's off about that girl. Even her own siblings avoid her, and that's family."

"We'll keep an eye on her, but we won't do anything." Aladdin said "This trade route is too important for us to mess it up. We'll lie low, keep an eye on things, and be ready if something happens."

"And if it does," Genie added, morphing into a muscular version of himself in army fatigues "we'll be there to stop it!"

"Exactly."


	2. Chapter 2

**Disclaimer:** Aladdin and any characters, setting, and locations therein are the sole property of Disney. Raziya, the OC, is my sole property and may not be used without my permission.

**A/N:** Still traveling; we shall be in Disney tomorrow after three or so hours on the road. Joy. Not much to say on the chapter, just that it was fun to try and get into Mozenrath's head, see what he would think and how he planned things. Once again, not too much dialogue, but this was more of a thinking chapter anyway, so that was expected. I'm already a little concerned that my OC, who should get a proper introduction in if not the next chapter the one after it, might be heading towards Mary-Sue territory, which concerns me, but she hasn't had much time to develop yet, has she? Keep an eye on that for me, I might be too close to her to see the signs.

As always, criticism is encouraged, flames aren't.

**Chapter 2: Mirror, Mirror…**

Jasmine had the guards in high alert the rest of the week, keeping an eye on the girl while patrolling the streets under the guise of chasing a thief that had gone missing. From what Razoul reported, she made no attempt to hide her magical powers, and in fact showed off a few small illusions to entertain the crowds and draw them in to trade. It was all small stuff, making things appear and disappear, pulling coins from behind children's ears, harmless mostly. And Iago had been right, she tired easily. After only a few tricks she was struggling to concentrate and hold the illusion, whatever harmless image it was. According the Razoul she was an arrogant, somewhat unpleasant girl, but harmless, and their fear of attack proved unfounded. The week went by without a hitch, with Agrabah celebrating her new found wealth and trade route through the days, inviting the Egyptians to join them in most, if not all celebrations.

When the week was up, the Egyptians packed up their wares and new supplies, bid Agrabah farewell and started on their way back home to Deshret, camels laden with new goods. It seemed their suspicion in the girl had been unnecessary, if not completely unfounded, and the days after the Egyptian's departure were spent relaxing and allowing the tension to drain away.

Jasmine, however, wasn't the only one who had noticed the girl. Many leagues away, in a certain Citadel, a young sorcerer had also noticed her, and was very, very interested.

"Master working?" Xerxes slithered through the cracked doorway, carefully poking his head inside to check on his master.

Mozenrath had been hunched over the looking glass for days now, intending to scour his enemies' fortresses and cities, looking for loopholes in their defenses, taking notes on their military and guards. It had been both laughable and infuriating to know that Agrabah's guards also served as her military, and without the djinn he would have conquered the city without breaking a sweat. Agrabah had been his first, and so far only, subject of inquiry, and had spent the last week or so watching the market place bustle with the Egyptian traders and merchants. Initially, he'd been infuriated to find that the Sultan had secured a political alliance with the super power and Mozenrath now had to conquer both kingdoms in order to take over The Seven Deserts. When he'd over heard Aladdin and his friends discussing some girl he'd tracked her down out of curiosity and was most interested in what he'd found.

Jasmine and the others had been both right and wrong; the girl was connected to Mirage and did have magical powers, but she wasn't weak. She had power, not nearly the amount he did, but she had power, and if she used it right, trained and practiced, she could be near equal footing with him. As it was, she still had miles to go before she could considered any sort of powerful, and if he trained her, he'd get to know her powers, and how to use them to his advantage. Mozenrath wasn't all that interested in making an enemy of the incarnation of evil, but he wouldn't mind making an ally of one of her servants. Mirage was powerful, much more powerful than himself, but she lacked… tactics. She was intelligent and cruel, but she only wanted to be evil for the sake of being evil. She didn't really want to do anything with it and that was holding her back. She had so many servants she didn't know what to do with them, and her servants were monstrous, inhuman beasts, not generally beautiful young women. Mirage loved fear, she loved inspiring it, she loved feeding on it, she loved controlling it, and monsters and beasts were her favorite tools for these ends.

So what had this woman done to get Mirage's attention? How had she earned a place in Mirage's relatively selective army of demons and monsters? The more he thought about it, the more he realized these were questions better left unasked and besides, he knew what he needed to about her: she had great potential for power, and could be useful.

He motioned Xerxes inside "Look what I've found Xerxes."

Xerxes slithered inside and looked into the looking glass, where the image of a woman he didn't recognize was traveling with a caravan. Xerxes didn't know Mirage, and so didn't see any significance in her strange eye color. "Who this? Who this?"

"This, Xerxes, is our soon to be business partner." Mozenrath went on to explain "She's a servant of Mirage, and potentially very powerful."

Xerxes looked confused and unconvinced "How she help?"

Mozenrath smiled "You underestimate the power illusions have, Xerxes." He moved over to his bookshelf and pulled a heavy, leather bound book from the shelf. Flipping through pages, he eventually stopped when he found what he wanted. "A well crafted illusion can drive men insane," he said, skimming down the page he'd stopped on "and a powerful illusionist can make their illusions real, they can shift the very fabric of reality itself. Of course it's very dangerous," he smirked "which is why I'll get her to cast all the illusions I'll need."

He'd never dabbled with illusionary magic and he didn't know much about it. According to the book in his hand, it was a delicate art requiring a great amount of focus. It could take years to master, and even then possibilities were as endless as the mind guiding the illusion. Illusionists were known to lose their minds that much he knew for sure, and that was the main reason he'd never really looked into learning it. He had plans, he needed his mind intact. However, having an illusionist around would come in handy, particularly when defeating Aladdin and his pet genie. Illusionists could bend the rules of magic, and while they weren't as powerful they could do things a free genie couldn't, and having one around… yeah. Mozenrath could see the possibilities, practically taste them and now that he'd found an illusionist, he wasn't about to give her up.

Too bad though, that'd he'd never been able to get his gauntlet back after his last fight against Aladdin and his groupies. He'd just been lucky to escape that hot air balloon alive, let alone worry about his gauntlet. As it was he was still slightly crippled, walking with the use of a cane now due to an injury sustained when the balloon had crashed. He supposed he was lucky djinns couldn't kill, but now he was stuck with a nasty limp and forced to rely on outside sources to complete his spells and plans. He didn't even know where to find the illusionist so he could talk to her, and even if he didn't he wasn't able to get to her; he was only able to watch through the looking glass…

Although…

Mozenrath admitted he wasn't entirely sure how the thing worked. He'd only discovered it recently in one of Destane's storage rooms, covered with a dusty blanket and well hidden from view. There were no notes, no inscriptions on the outside rim, and no references to it in any of the books that had been stored nearby, so Mozenrath had been playing guessing games until he'd figured out that it responded to verbal commands. He suspected it was an old fashioned scrying mirror, but he had no way to prove it. As it was, he thought he could use it to communicate with others, but only if they were looking in a reflective surface, like a mirror or smooth pool of water.

He'd have to practice first, figure out how it worked, maybe do some research. In the meantime, he could at least keep an eye on the illusionist, maybe find out more about her, and use something to convince her to help him.

First things first though. Mozenrath leaned over the scrying mirror and, taking one last look at the Egyptian illusionist, trying to memorize her face so he could find her later, he said very clearly: "Find the gauntlet."

The mirror shimmered; distorting the woman's image and a moment later Agrabah came into view, and was gradually replaced by the palace. A moment later the royal treasury shimmered into focus, then a locked chest, sitting quietly in a corner, well out of sight of the door. The image rested there, and Mozenrath knew he had found the gauntlet. This, however, was what made him nervous about magical objects he didn't know anything about: it seemed to know exactly what he was thinking, exactly what he wanted and he hadn't had to explain anything at all. The mirror seemed to understand, and it worried him that something could think for itself, especially when he couldn't see where it kept its brain.

It would have to do for now. He didn't have many options, and he needed to figure out a way to steal back his gauntlet, and then find the girl again. He knew she was from Egypt, they were laughably recognizable people with their style of clothes and hair, but that was all. He didn't know what city she was from. The mirror could find her, he knew that, but he didn't want to rely on it. He wouldn't admit it, but it made him nervous, something that could basically read thoughts. No wonder Destane had locked it out of sight.

At least he had found the gauntlet, now all he had to do was steal it. Not as impossible as it sounded… though, it'd be easier to send in a lackey or slave. He wasn't above subcontracting, but he wasn't sending in Amin Damoola. That gauntlet was too important to trust with that fool, and he had plans for Amin. Mamluks were possible, but so delicate, and they often got directionally challenged. Last thing he needed was for one to tip off Jasmine by stumbling into her private chambers. He certainly couldn't go in himself… though…

A thought had struck, a baby plan he needed to finalize and perfect but… why not? He wasn't sure if it would work, it was a little ludicrous if he was honest, but… well he needed to test her powers anyway, and if she got caught he didn't lose anything. He didn't know the full extent of her powers yet, just theorized based on knowledge of Mirage, which was hard to come by. And then there was the whole thing of convincing her and gaining her trust but… why not? Why not send the girl for his gauntlet? Even with her paltry magic she should at least be able to trick the untrained eye with her illusions, and it was easy enough to distract the djinn. Not the animals, but they could be silenced… yes. With a little planning and some charm… this could work.

He could kill two birds with one stone, and later try to make the euphemism as literal as possible.


	3. Chapter 3

**Disclaimer:** Aladdin and any characters, setting, and plots therein are the sole property of Disney. Raziya, the OC, is my sole property and may not be used without my permission.

**A/N:** So far, the chapters have been a bit of an info-dump, which isn't fun for anyone. I'm trying to set things up for the meat of the story later, and while the exposition might be boring, it is necessary. I'd like it noted that I initially had a different idea of where this chapter would go, but it simply wouldn't work. Nothing I wrote sounded any good, and I'm not giving you guys' subpar work. As a result of this, a lot was skipped over and a lot of time has passed, weeks, probably closer to months. It's important to keep this in mind because of what goes on in this chapter. The only reason I bring this is up is because I don't think I made it very clear in the chapter…

Also, keep an eye on Raziya for me. I won't notice her going into Mary-Sue territory until it's too late, so let me know when I still have time to salvage her.

This chapter was difficult to write. I don't know if it's because I'd written it after being in a car for two days, all day, or if I was just rushing it too much, but I think I got it. I like it. It could use some editing, and I'm sure there's a few typo here and there, but overall it does what it needs to do. Its exposition-y, I know, but hopefully it's not badly written or unpleasant to read.

And on my jeez, the chapter title… I hate coming up with chapter titles…

No flames. They make Abu nervous.

**Chapter 3: Tempting the Egyptian**

Mozenrath was well-known for a lot of things: his ruthlessness, his power, and his intelligence were among a few things on a long list of his notorious talents and achievements. What Mozenrath wasn't known for was kindness, tolerance or patience, in any amount. What little patience he had had dwindled down to practically nothing, and the kingdom was feeling it. Xerxes, despite his unquestionable loyalty to Mozenrath, kept a wide berth around his master, and was generally found, at least, out of arm's length, if not further away. The few servants and slaves Mozenrath had, Amin among them, remained hidden and out of sight, cleaning and cooking behind the scenes and making themselves scarce when Mozenrath neared. Even the Mamluks gave him his space, and they weren't known for their sharp minds or quick thinking.

Despite being almost constantly infuriated and on edge, Mozenrath knew it was worth it. He was so close, so close to having his gauntlet back, so close to having a new and very powerful 'ally' that he could taste it. He was already planning his take-over of Agrabah, planning how best to use the illusionists' powers to his advantage, there were so many plans, so many ways he could take over…

And Raziya would help him.

The Egyptian's name was Raziya and he'd gathered enough information over the last few weeks that he could unravel her entire world, and enjoy every minute of it. Which he would, when the time came; she had too much potential to keep around. While she didn't have as much raw power as he did, she could use hers more effectively: it'd be too easy for her to devastate his mind, use him to get her own power. That was the thing about Egyptian women; they enjoyed rights, rights that women in other cultures didn't even consider. They had the right to divorce, own property, go to court… Raziya was used to a sense of equality and power, especially in her home where she acted as second in command beneath her mother, and it wasn't much of a stretch to believe she'd want more. She'd feel entitled to it, after all.

But that would come in due time. Now, he was more concerned with getting her to trust him, a feat that was taking more time than he thought it would. The way Aladdin and Jasmine made it look, it seemed trust and camaraderie should come naturally and quickly.

Though, his frame of reference might be slightly skewed.

He'd been using the scrying mirror, and while the device did make him nervous he shouldn't have to use it too much longer. He'd started out watching her, quietly observing her world from the background, watching her with her siblings, her parents, following her through lessons of the day, chores… Well. She didn't do chores. Her family was wealthy, and had a few servants to do the hard work of the day. When her mother wasn't around, Raziya supervised the work or tutored her siblings; occasionally lent a hand to make sure things were done to her standards, standards set much higher than her mother's.

One wouldn't think that a few days of simply watching her work around her home and interact with her family would reveal much. He didn't; and at first her daily routine seemed boring and frivolous. He wanted to talk to her, get to know her so he could later use and destroy her, and watching wasn't getting that done. Oddly enough, it was Xerxes that revealed Mozenrath wasn't reading body language and actions like he should have been.

He'd been watching her through the mirror one early morning, as she applied her make-up and cleaned her hair. He'd only been watching a few minutes when Xerxes swooped in and settled comfortably on his master's shoulders, watching the mirror with a critical eye. It took the woman an hour to apply her make-up and fix her hair, and this wasn't including the time she'd taken to wash, pick out her clothes and get dressed, which he hadn't watched. Mozenrath was a gentleman when it counted, and he had little interest in being considered a pervert. He had to have some standards.

Either way, he'd been dozing off from boredom when Xerxes had said something oddly enlightening: "She vain. She vain, yes master?"

Startled out of what promised to be a good nap, Mozenrath had yawned, then sighed "Yes, Xerxes. Most Egyptians are."

Xerxes hissed "She selfish too." It was an idle observation, made from watching her shamelessly steal her sister's jewelry. Xerxes was inherently a selfish creature and intelligent enough to know he couldn't really judge… but those were two very important personality traits he'd picked up on that Mozenrath had, frankly, taken for granted and disregarded.

He'd been relying too much on the gauntlet to do his work and forgotten how important simple observation could be to the proper execution of a plan. The rest of the day he'd watched carefully, and was again reminded just how important idle observation could be.

Firstly, and most obviously, she had nothing but disdain for her three younger sisters, but absolutely doted up her little brother, who couldn't be older than six. The only boy among four, older and very spoiled girls, Mozenrath had had sympathy for him, but it wasn't long before he found out why Raziya was so enamored of the child. He was an unusually quiet and intelligent boy, and usually followed his eldest sister's orders without complaint or hesitation. When he was free to do as he pleased, he tormented the other three with pranks and bad behavior, but was a walking vision of sweetness and sugar around Raziya, who tolerated absolutely nothing less. He feared her, but adored her, and Raziya fed off the attention much in the same was a house cat would. She doted on him, made sure he received the biggest portions at meal times, took him where he wanted to go, played with him when time permitted, and was more a mother to him than their mother was.

Which led him to the next observation, and possibly the one that would help him the most: despite Raziya's position of power, being the eldest daughter, she was clearly the least favorite. While her father was… friendly, a term used loosely, her mother completely ignored her except when giving orders, orders Raziya generally ignored. Arguments were frequent, and while Mozenrath's Egyptian was rusty, he recognized more than enough to know just how nasty things could get. And Raziya wasn't stupid, she knew just what to say to put the bite in her words, dig a knife in her mother's heart, who was just as quick, if not quicker, to go for the throat. Raziya, however, scared her parents, and was clearly in charge of the house.

And it was because of her powers.

Through the days he'd watched he'd heard snippets of the story from her parents. From what he'd gathered and what he'd filled in, she hadn't been a healthy baby, and had nearly died. Fearing for their firstborn's life, they'd prayed to their gods and goddesses for help. Something must have been lost in transit though, because the incarnation of evil had answered instead, and gave Raziya life. The effect had left Raziya with her powers, and what had first been seen as a gift was very quickly considered a curse.

Something Raziya would back up in later conversations.

He'd had to reveal himself slowly. A dark-clad figure popping up in a mirror one day wasn't exactly conducive to forging allegiances, and revealing that'd he'd been, effectively, stalking her for days wasn't helpful in that regard either. He'd made it seem like an accident, a magical experiment gone wrong, but not badly. He'd flattered and flirted, wheedled and needled his way into her good graces, and with the famed Egyptian vanity helping him it hadn't taken her long to stop being suspicious and start being pleased. She'd been careful though, to keep her location a secret, her name and address carefully safe guarded. She wasn't stupid, which was good, but hadn't seemed to realize a sorcerer able to speak to her through a mirror could surely get all the information he wanted and needed, with or without her help.

She'd revealed more than she'd intended though. She usually stuck to mild flirtation and simple, general questions. Light conversation; but through this he found her disdain for her family and home city, Deshret. He found her reluctance to marry and have children, as her parents were encouraging her to do, her curiosity about her powers. She hadn't revealed much about them, kept the secret well, but if one already knew about them, it wasn't hard to figure out she was desperate to learn more about them and how to use them. Mozenrath theorized this was the reason it had only taken a few days to get in her good graces: she was curious about magic, and he knew more than she could even dream of. So she'd played along to learn.

Weeks of discussions had gone by, flirting, charming, flattering and conning this one potentially powerful girl, and finally it was drawing to a close. Tonight he'd convince her to steal the gauntlet, make a deal with her. Tonight he could set his new plan into action. Certainly there were bits and pieces that needed fixing, details that needed hammering, but he couldn't do that until she agreed to help him. And she would agree.

With Mozenrath's command, the mirror shimmered, and there was Raziya, brushing her hair before bed. She glanced up, unsurprised now with his appearances, and murmured "So my dark prince returns?"

"Raziya," he inclined his head in an overly exaggerated bow "Beautiful as ever."

She smiled, pleased, and put her hair comb down "Mozenrath." She mirrored his over exaggerated bow, but held eye contact, those green eyes still lined with kohl, full lips painted red. Her hair was still styled, held in place by a jeweled head band, and she hadn't dressed for bed. She'd been waiting for him "Your visits honor me." She shrugged a hank of hair behind her narrow shoulder. "To what do I owe this pleasure?"

He smiled, leaning forward "Can't I call on a beautiful woman just to…chat?" He ignored that unpleasant roil in his stomach at the false flattery. He'd lay the flattery and flirtation on thick when it helped him, that didn't mean he had to like it. And judging by the expression on Raziya's face, she didn't buy it. "I take that as a no then?"

She grinned, baring fanglike canines "No man calls on a woman just to chat, Mozenrath, beautiful or not."

He shrugged "It seems I've been caught." She twirled a small hank of her black hair around a finger, the sharp nail painted dark purple. "I did want to talk to you though, Raziya. I have a proposition of sorts…"

The finger stopped twirling and hair slid away. "What sort of proposition?" Her flirtatious manner dropped away.

He chuckled lightly "Don't seem so worried, Raziya. Would I hurt you?" She didn't seem convinced and he smiled again "I was hoping you could retrieve something for me, something very important that's been stolen."

"I'm not a delivery girl." She snapped.

He shook his head "You're above such work Raziya… however, with your magnificent talents you're the only one even remotely suitable for the job."

She settled, flattered, but tilted her head "What is it I'd be retrieving? And from where?" She furrowed her brow "And how am I meant to deliver this to a man whose sole means of communication is through a mirror?"

He smiled silkily, "All in due time; first the deal, then the details." He leaned forward on his elbows, propping his chin in his hand "Are you so anxious to get away from home? From your _dear_ family?"

Her eyes narrowed "The deal, Mozenrath."

He chuckled and explained "It's simple, in its own way. You have powers I can't imagine, gifts I'll never have, and in time you'll know how to use them properly. I can teach you, but not without my gauntlet. You retrieve that from the royal treasury in Agrabah, and I'll show you what Mirage had in mind for those powers of yours." That got her attention, and her eyes fixed on him, the cat watching the canary. "In time you'll be able to help me with a few little things." He smiled "I have big plans for this world, Raziya, and you're part of them."

She considered him "And in return for helping you with these few little things?"

He smiled, reached to a satchel hanging from his hip and pulled a handful of jewels, polished to a sparkling shine, and showed her the handful. A cascade of jeweled necklaces fell from his hand and her eyes followed with curious interest. A moment went by as he let her examine the glittering pile in his hand before he said "This little pile is barely a fraction of what I'll give you."

She smiled faintly "Jewels, Mozenrath? You forget my father is a successful merchant, my mother the daughter of a wealthy lawyer. Jewels and gold are not hard to come by… and are of little interest to me."

He blinked, stuffed the jewels back in the satchel and narrowed his eyes dangerously "You have something in mind then?" He gritted out between clenched teeth.

She smiled, "I'm sure we can come to some sort of agreement, Mozenrath, a deal which pleases us both. Personally, I'm a little tired of mothering my siblings, playing homemaker in a house that isn't mine, and I'm curious." She looked up, suddenly questioning "You still haven't told me how I'll find you once I've stolen the gauntlet."

His grin was so wide his face hurt "Are you saying you'll help me Raziya?"

She smiled back, flashing the barest hint of her fangs "I could be, Mozenrath, so long as we can reach an agreement for services rendered…?"

He flapped an impatient hand, always careful to keep the scarred, skeletal one well hidden "Of course, of course; we can hammer out details later, draw up a contract if you like. Egyptians like contracts don't they? Either way, we'll reach an accord. And as for finding me," he smiled, all silky smooth charisma "don't worry, a carriage will be sent for you."

"When do I leave?" She purred.

"As soon as possible."


	4. Chapter 4

**Disclaimer:** Aladdin and any characters, setting, and plots therein are the sole property of Disney. Raziya, the OC, is my sole property and may not be used without my permission.

**A/N:** I feel like I'm rushing this, trying to get to the good stuff, but at the same time it's so important for you guys to know what's going on…

Anyways, enjoy the chapter. Thanks to everyone who's reading!

**Chapter 4: A Thief in the Night**

It had been a few months since the Egyptians had left, taking the green eyed girl with them, leaving behind only the smell of perfume and the taste of new, exotic spices. It had just been long enough for the group to let their guard down, just long enough for them to relax again, but not long enough for them to forget her. Aladdin hadn't even seen the girl, but he could imagine her well enough, given the effect she'd left on Jasmine, who'd been nervous and flighty since that day in the marketplace.

Now though, things were calming down and going back to normal. The increased trade had had an immediate effect on the economy, boosting not only profits for the city, but the livelihood of the people. Egyptians mostly traded luxuries rather than necessities, and while these things wouldn't bring any great change to the populace, it had already made life more comfortable for them, and Jasmine had to admit, she was enjoying some of these new luxuries.

With starving children on the streets Jasmine usually didn't pamper herself too much; perfume and jewelry were for special occasions, as were new clothes and fabric. Lately though, Jasmine had been understandably stressed. Just the thought of Mirage was enough to put knots in her back and give her a migraine, and the waiting? Not knowing? She was a bit of a wreck, she admitted it, and felt a little pampering wouldn't hurt. All she needed was a long, hot bath, maybe with some of those oils the Egyptians had brought, a few candles, a plate of figs, and she'd be back to herself in no time.

It was in the tub, soaking her knotted shoulders, that she heard the news. Usually, when Jasmine took these indulgent baths, the servant girls hung around the tub under the pretense of being ready to serve their princess. What most of the guards and officials didn't know was that the few maids Jasmine did have were regarded like family members, like sisters, and actually stayed in the bath chamber for private conversations and girl-talk. Most of these women had practically grown up together, and because they'd provided Jasmine with friendship during a lonely childhood, she made sure their families were well cared for. In return they showed her no small amount of respect, loyalty and kindness. She was one of them, a member of the group, one of the girls, and therefore one of the first to hear the latest gossip.

Such as that a certain green eyed Egyptian had gone missing from Deshret.

Jasmine practically choked on the fig she was eating "What?"

The other girls jumped at her outburst, but didn't seem surprised. One, a pretty Persian girl named Leila, nodded "I was in the market this morning, helping my sister find jewelry for the wedding, when I overheard two traders talking. One was just from Deshret, and said that a trader's daughter had gone missing."

Jasmine sat up in the tub. "How do you know it was her?"

Leila continued "I know it was a little… inappropriate, but I eavesdropped." The day Leila stopped eavesdropping was the day Jasmine joined the Gallifemes "One of the merchants said she was well known in Deshret because she had really unusual eyes, green like a cat's."

Alimah, a girl from Agrabah, took up the story "Unless there's something in the water, how many Egyptians could have green eyes in one city? And Deshret doesn't get a lot of visitors. Too far out of the way, the pharaoh sent them here because they're close enough to Alexandria to bring back goods, and close enough to here to get the goods."

Yarah, the shyest of the three girls, spoke up "We knew you'd want to know Jasmine, but didn't want to panic you." She gently squeezed Jasmine's hand "She'd made you so nervous, and there hasn't been any sign of her in the city."

Leila spoke up "I don't mean to be forward-"

"You never _mean_ to be forward, Leila, yet you always are." Alimah broke in.

"-but if I were you I'd ask the Genie to keep an eye on the magic around here." Leila said, ignoring Alimah's teasing.

"Surely he'd know if she was back in Agrabah for sure." Yarah said quietly.

Jasmine reached for a towel "I have to talk to him."

Leila handed her the towel, but said "Jasmine, you've been so stressed over this girl the last few months; you should relax and enjoy your bath. Another hour or so won't make a difference."

Jasmine stood and wrapped the towel around herself, rushing across the large chamber to duck behind the partition to dress "Leila, I won't be able to relax until I talk to Genie."

They helped her dress and hurriedly brushed her hair before she rushed out of the chamber, saying a quick goodbye to the girls. Darting through the halls of the palace, she finally found him with Aladdin in the garden, once again playing senet. It seemed the djinn had become obsessed with beating someone at something.

"Genie!"

Genie held up a large blue hand "One sec Jazz! I'm about to beat Aladdin at senet! First game in weeks!"

Aladdin smiled "It's not gonna happen Genie."

Jasmine ignored them "She's missing. That girl in the market? Genie, I know we haven't heard anything from Mirage, but I need you to keep and eye on the magic around the city. See if anything feels different."

Aladdin stood up, "Jasmine, slow down. Who's missing?"

"That girl! The one I saw in the market when the Egyptians were here! Leila just told me she's gone missing from Deshret, heard it in the market place." She turned to Genie "We already know she's connected to Mirage. I need you to keep an eye on the magic around Agrabah."

Aladdin gently grabbed her shoulder "Jasmine, she left. It's been months. If we were going to hear from Mirage we would have by now."

She stared at Genie imploringly "Please, Genie?"

He held his hands up "Don't' worry Jazz; I've got it under control." He snapped his fingers and a moment later a large machine, once again buzzing and beeping, appeared on top of the fountain, a large disc moving around in a slow circle. He draped an arm around it "This little baby can pick up unusual magical signatures from a two hundred foot radius. I've taken the liberty of setting up several throughout the city. If there's anything unusual going on, I'll know about it."

Jasmine pressed a hand to her head in an attempt to relieve pressure "Thank you Genie."

Aladdin draped an arm around her "See Jazz? Genie's got it under control. You need to relax. C'mon, I'll teach you how to play senet. I need a challenge."

Genie looked shocked "Any my semi phenomenal, nearly cosmic powers aren't enough of a challenge?"

"Not when I keep winning."

It didn't take long to find the flaw in Genie's plan. The devices he set up around the city kept going off at odd moments, scaring the daylights out of the citizens and generally making nuisances of themselves by buzzing, beeping and whirring throughout the day. Genie wasn't sure what was causing the malfunctions and no one had the heart to suggest that maybe it wasn't the greatest idea he'd ever had. It was likely with all the different magical signatures in the city that the machines simply couldn't handle it. Genie and carpet alone set the things off twice a day, but with Sadira in the city and possible remnants of their enemies' magic lingering around it was no surprise when complaints assailed the palace. The sultan tried to assure the people that these odd, metal noisemakers were there to protect the people, but no one seemed to care.

Three weeks later, in the middle of the night, the people had finally had enough. A small mob had marched to the palace, people still in their nightclothes, demanding that Genie at least turn the things off at night. Aladdin, called my Razoul, was at the gate to meet them, a map in his hand, Genie and the others behind him.

"Okay! Everyone?" Jasmine yelled her hair mussed from sleep "Please form a line and show us your house on the map so that we can pinpoint the machines and turn off the ones that have gone off tonight. The others will be shut off immediately afterwards and then taken down first thing in the morning." She added, with a glower at Genie.

The people formed a line and pointed out their houses while the guards kept order and Jasmine and carpet handed out blankets and warm food to those waiting. Abu entertained the children that had been dragged out by their parents, though it didn't seem as though he'd volunteered for this job and Genie apologized to everyone as they drew nearer in an ever growing line.

When the group dispersed, some escorted home by guards, Aladdin rolled up the map with a sleepy yawn and murmured "Okay. Jasmine, Carpet, you come with me and we'll hit these machines. Genie? You get these. Abu, Iago, you stay here with Razoul and tell anyone else who comes to the gate that we're on the job." He yawned again, so widely that his jaw cracked "We'll take them down in the morning, for now let's just shut them off."

Razoul stepped forward "Why doesn't the Genie just snap his fingers and shut them off?" he demanded snidely.

Genie shook his head "They're already malfunctioning. Adding more magic to the equation might make it worse. We're doing this manually until I can figure out what's wrong with them."

Razoul rolled his eyes, but didn't comment any further. He simply took a seat at the guard post and glowered, watching as Aladdin and Jasmine flew off, Genie in the opposite direction. Abu and Iago glanced up at Razoul, grinned, and then inched away from the guard's mean glower.

Jasmine slumped over next to Aladdin, leaning against him while she looked at the map "That's odd."

"What is?"

"The machines were going off randomly the last few weeks weren't they?"

"Yeah, why?"

Jasmine frowned "Well, looking at the map, it seems like they're going in a straight line…" she gasped "Right towards the palace!" She grabbed Aladdin's arm. "Do you think-?"

Without another word Carpet turned around and made a beeline for the palace, swooping down into the garden where the first machine was still positioned on the fountain. So far it hadn't gone off but once, when Genie and Eden had been on a date before she'd taken Dhandi to the beach, and even as Jasmine and Aladdin drew nearer it was quiet. Jasmine sighed with relief at the still machine, but just as she exhaled the machine started to whir, then beep, the disc on the top spinning in search of the magic. Carpet flew higher, to avoid confusing it, and a moment later the machine beeped loudly, shuddered violently and stopped. A handful of cords and wires stuck out on one side, as though ripped out.

"Carpet, we need to find the Sultan!" Aladdin bellowed, and Carpet zoomed into the palace, practically bowling over a guard on patrol.

Zooming through the palace and into the sultan's chamber, Carpet stopped and Jasmine and Aladdin dropped in front of a very confused Sultan "W-what's going…? Is it those machines of Genie's again?" he sighed "I know Genie's trying to help but-"

"Some of them have gone off, father, but we think something might be in the-"

Just before Jasmine could finish a loud, terrified scream cut through the air. They rushed from the room and down the hall, towards the treasury. As they drew near they found several guards had already arrived, and were bent over another, who seemed to be unconscious. The door to the treasury was wide open.

"What happened?"

"A-attacked!" One of the guards stuttered, looking pale and shaken. "He w-was attacked!"

They parted as the Sultan, Aladdin and Jasmine stepped forward, but the three stopped as they drew near. The guard, a young man supported by his fellows, was pale and sweaty, his eyes glazed over, mouth wide in a silent scream of terror. He seemed to be struggling to draw in breath and was making rasping, choking sounds. He was shaking so badly the other guards were more holding him down than supporting him.

One shook him roughly "Speak man! What happened?"

It took several attempts to get the poor man to talk. He seemed to have gone catatonic, and kept making choking noises. He managed a few words, but mostly it was garbled gibberish and gasps as he heaved for breath. Jasmine worried that he'd been scared so badly he'd lost his mind, but finally he forced out: "Demons!" in a hoarse whisper.

Jasmine leaned in and took his hand "It's okay, you're safe now."

He wrenched his hand from her grasp and wailed "A… a demon! S-she… a demon… snakes!... Made of snakes!" He started to fight, flailing to get away from the other guards, who were forced to knock him out to keep him from hurting himself.

Jasmine, looking shaken, turned to the open treasury door and stepped inside "Whatever was here was after something."

Aladdin followed, but the Sultan stayed with his guards, ordering two of them to get the palace doctor. Moving through the treasury, Jasmine and Aladdin carefully took stock of the treasury, trying to see what might have been taken or moved. It wasn't until they'd reached the very back, where some of the most valuable artifacts were kept, did they see what had been taken. The chest containing Mozenrath's gauntlet was gone.


	5. Chapter 5

**Disclaimer:** Aladdin and any characters, setting, and plots therein are the sole property of Disney. Raziya, the OC, is my sole property and may not be used without my permission.

**A/N:** A moment of your time, if you don't mind?

I really am trying to make this feel like this is just another, fairly long episode of the old cartoon, but the problem with that is I feel like I'm rushing things. There's a plot, a very delicately thought out plot that I am rather proud of, that needed to be set up, which is what I'm doing here… but I feel like it's moving too fast for it's own good. I know things were like that in the show, to a degree, because they had to set things up in a very small amount of time. I, however, have few time constraints… so… should I slow things down? Are the chapters reading like the show? How are the characters? Does Raziya fit into this world? Please let me know in a quick review, so these author's comments will be less 'blah, blah, blah' and more 'gee, this so much fun!' Thanks.

Also, thanks for the lovely reviews so far. They are deeply appreciated.

No flames, please.

**Chapter 5: Trouble Brewing **

It had taken Mozenrath months to get Raziya to trust him, months to break through her walls, months of charming, and flirting, flattering the spoiled Egyptian with suggestions and inviting smiles. Months of valuable time that could have been spent planning, or taking over. But it had all worked out. All that time, time he'd initially thought wasted, had been worth it. All the risk that came with using a magical artifact he knew nothing about had been worth it. Standing at the heavy wooden doors to his palace, he watched as the carriage containing his gauntlet and new ally drew nearer, and he simply could not keep the grin off his face. He could still win. In fact he would. There was no doubt in his mind at all. Agrabah's fate was sealed.

A small hand gently touched his wrist –his left wrist- and an even smaller voice gently asked "Who's that?"

He sneered and pulled his hand away "My new business partner," he replied, then stepped forward to greet Raziya.

The sand witch, interestingly enough, had taken very little convincing. Sadira was a desperate little thing, sad, lonely. And ironically she was a close friend to Jasmine, and by extension Aladdin, which made her part of the plan all the sweeter. It had only taken him a few weeks to place himself in her inner confidences. With the flash of a smile and the twinkle of a pile of gold, she'd given in to her insecurities and come back to The Land of the Black Sand with him. Even so, she regularly asked if her part of the plan would genuinely hurt anyone, and he'd assured her that a little sandstorm wouldn't hurt anyone a bit. _They won't feel a thing_ had been his exact phrasing, and if things went well he wouldn't be lying.

When the carriage door opened and Raziya stepped out she was wearing a tight white dress, her silky hair in a headdress, and an elegant smile… until she saw Sadira, and that beautifully cold smile fell off her face like a dead fly from the air. Her hands, decorated with rings, tightened on the chest she held and her eyes, rimmed in kohl, narrowed sharply.

Mozenrath opened his hands gracefully and smiled "Raziya! You bring such light to my dark doorstep, such… elegance."

Her eyes flicked between Sadira and Mozenrath a moment, then rested on him and a perfectly plucked eyebrow arched. Something sick and burning suddenly coiled in Mozenrath's stomach, though he wasn't sure why "Mozenrath," Raziya purred "I wasn't aware you had… guests." Her eyes pinned Sadira in place.

Mozenrath's smile turned sly and he quietly muttered "She's a temporary aid in my plan. A sand witch. Fairly unimpressive, but useful. For now." He smiled, slow and sugary and added "Sand magic is so… primitive in comparison to an illusionist's skill, don't you agree?"

The flattery didn't work this time. Raziya didn't even seem to acknowledge that Mozenrath had spoken; her eyes remained fixed on Sadira, taking in the sand witch's frizzy hair, loose clothes and dirty bare feet. Sadira watched Raziya uncertainly for a moment, then glanced at Mozenrath, who showed no indication the younger woman was even there. This was why he hated being around women: the need to compete. The stare Raziya leveled at Sadira wasn't one of jealousy, it was one of superiority. He likened the situation to cats fighting over a mouse. It wasn't necessarily the mouse they wanted, but the authority and, loathe as he was to admit it, even inwardly, Mozenrath was the mouse here. For now, he'd have to feed egos to keep them both on his side, flatter and flirt a bit to keep them both happy with him. He could care less if they ripped each other to ribbons, but he needed them both on his side. At least for now.

Finally, Raziya glanced down at Mozenrath and replied "You wanted this, I believe?"

Her hands opened the chest, and inside rested the gauntlet, safe, sound, and finally back home. He snatched it up without a moment's hesitation and, careful to keep the bones hidden, slipped it over his damaged hand. He sighed with relief as the familiar flood of power coursed through the bones and into his body, then looked up at Raziya, looking, probably for the first time in his life, genuinely grateful.

He extended a hand to her "Please allow me to welcome you to my humble home, Raziya. It's an honor to have you as both a guest and student."

"Student?" she asked, taking the offered hand and stepping out of the carriage. Throwing a glance at Sadira, she smirked at the sand witch's suddenly infuriated look "I'm not sure I understand…?"

"Our deal, of course." Mozenrath led her to the palace gates, walking slowly "I will be teaching you how to control those wonderful powers of yours personally. You didn't think you'd be learning from books did you?"

"I wasn't sure what you had in mind," Raziya admitted "but this is a lovely surprise." They reached Sadira, who was looking mutinous. It was a stark comparison: the elegant Egyptian, with her perfumed hair and glittering jewelry, and the street mouse, with her sand covered clothes and woven bands. Raziya looked at Sadira like a pile of mud from the bottom of her sandal "And you are?"

"Sadira." She said shortly "Mozenrath's business _partner_." She added pointedly "And _you_ are?"

Raziya's eyes narrowed "Raziya, his student."

"So, you don't know any magic?" Sadira asked smugly "Pity. I'm one of the last to practice sand magic, and a master of it."

"A dying art, I've heard." Raziya said flatly.

Mozenrath stepped in before it came to blows "Ladies, please, let me escort you inside. We have much planning to do, and Raziya has to rest from her long journey. Egypt is no short distance." He bowed them inside and Raziya led the way.

Sadira sidled up to Mozenrath and murmured "No magic? Kind of pathetic huh?" Before he could reply Raziya's clear voice cut him off.

"I happen to be a disciple of Mirage, little sand witch." She threw an imperious glance over her shoulder, and Mozenrath swore he saw her eyes glow like her mistress' "You would do well to remember that."

Sadira blinked and recoiled, as though to step behind Mozenrath, but he moved forward and beckoned the doors open. "Unfortunately, Raziya, you're a bit behind."

"Oh?" She looked around the palace as she passed through the doors, sneering at a Mamluk and hurrying to catch up with Mozenrath.

"Yeah," Sadira cut in "Mozenrath and I practically have the planning done."

Mozenrath leaned into Raziya "The Devil's in the details though, which is where you come in." He added in an undertone "She's practically unnecessary; I just thought a sandstorm would make for a more… appropriate distraction."

"A less obvious one, you mean?" Raziya purred. Sadira hadn't heard a word, too distracted by Xerxes, who'd flown into view and was hissing at her in distrust. The eel turned to Raziya to hiss at her as well, but she pinned him with such a cold stare he retreated. "You have an interesting selection of servants." She said as a pair of Mamluks shambled past.

Mozenrath shrugged and bowed the ladies into his study "You get what you pay for."

The plan Mozenrath and Sadira had outlined was simple. Almost too simple. It was clear to anyone on the outside that Mozenrath was keeping his true intentions from Sadira, just telling her only the basics, and lying to keep her from getting curious. As far as she knew a business deal had gone badly with someone in Agrabah, and he just wanted to scare them into paying up a very large sum of money. Raziya, who had no investment in Agrabah's people, knew the full story and was more than happy to keep it from Sadira, as it gave the Egyptian a sense of one-upmanship over the younger sand witch. What Raziya didn't know was that Mozenrath wanted more than just Agrabah, but the whole world, and the portion she was getting was barely worth talking about. Both women were getting cheated, and while Mozenrath had initially worried the two might team up and figure him out, this concern had been proven unfounded fairly quickly.

It only took three short weeks after Raziya's arrival to find out that Raziya and Sadira despised each other, and were total opposites in every way. The sand witch was awkward, simple, sweet but insecure, and oh so gullible. Raziya was elegant, ostentatious, cruel and suspicious and the two had immediately formed a rivalry of sorts and two guesses what the prize was for the winner: Mozenrath.

He didn't mind their squabbling over him; in fact it was amusing as hell. What annoyed him was the fact Sadira seemed to genuinely like him. Mozenrath had done his job too well, rather than just becoming part of her inner circle, he'd planted himself as her romantic conquest… which made Raziya a threat. And Sadira responded in the only way she knew how: she got clingy. She tried to keep him in sight whenever possible, would flirt loudly when Raziya was around, and would show off her skills with sand magic in an attempt to chase the Egyptian off. This plan had backfired spectacularly when Mozenrath quickly realized that Raziya was more than capable enough of holding her own against the younger girl and Mozenrath had taken to keeping as close to Raziya as was normal in order for some peace and quiet. Raziya, for all her ambition, seemed to have little interest in Mozenrath, and wanted to prove to Sadira that she could have what the other couldn't. Fine by him, as long as she kept Sadira at bay, she could do what she wanted.

In the meantime he had governments to overthrow, cities to seize control of, and the Seven Deserts to take over. He hardly had time or inclination to worry about the bickering of two competitive women. He was so close to taking over Agrabah he could practically taste it; the plans were almost finalized, the ladies knew their parts flawlessly, and while Sadira had her reservations she would hardly be necessary once it became obvious what he really planning, and hardly a threat. And even if, by some miraculous happenstance, she did become a threat Raziya was more than a match for her. While Raziya herself was fairly weak in comparison to Sadira, it was the nature of her power that made her dangerous. She could drive someone mad with a thought… which was why Mozenrath was keen to keep the Egyptian on his side.

"You're sure this genie will fall for something so… obvious?" Raziya's job was to distract the Genie while Mozenrath took down Aladdin and his friends, leaving him free to deal with the djinn without interruption.

Mozenrath smirked "Certainly. He isn't the most subtle of creatures, and all the semi-phenomenal, nearly-cosmic powers don't provide brains do they?"

The door to the study opened, and Sadira stepped through, smiling at Mozenrath. Raziya lifted an eyebrow "Oh good, the little sand witch is here. Now the party can really get started."

Sadira's smiled widened "Mozenrath!" She said in a sing-song voice "I have something to show you!"

He rolled his eyes and turned his back to her, looking down at a large map of Agrabah "Later. Raziya, you'll enter the city from here…" he pointed down to map and Raziya leaned down to take a closer look, not so subtly allowing her dress to slip the very slightest. Mozenrath inwardly sighed. This whole competition thing was starting to wear on his nerves.

"Oh trust me; you'll want to see now." Sadira said smugly, throwing a triumphant look at Raziya.

The Egyptian flapped an impatient hand at her "Why don't you go build a sand castle, the grown-ups are talking business?"

Sadira grinned "Why Raziya, are you scared I might have something better than a few little illusions?"

Raziya sneered, but ignored her, instead turning to Mozenrath and trailing a hand down his arm "So, any _particular_ illusions in mind?" she purred "Or should I just-?"

He shrugged "Be as creative as you like, just hold the illusion as long as you can. I'll need the time to-"

Sadira popped her head in-between the two with a wicked smile on her face "I have a better idea than some illusion."

Raziya clicked her tongue "What, pray tell, could _you_ have possibly come up with?"

"Oh, nothing much." Sadira shrugged, oblivious to Mozenrath's murderous look at being interrupted. "Just a little Black Sand?" She held up a hand, and in a few moments a pile of black sand came sliding into the window, and over to Sadira, stopping at her feet where it waited like a big, undulating cat.

Raziya scoffed "Fascinating, a sand witch that can control sand! How unique!"

Mozenrath, however, was annoyed. Black Sand generally had a will of its own, and the fact that she could control it made him nervous. His entire kingdom was made up of black sand, and while most of it was just that, sand that was black, a portion of it was Black Sand. That she could control it, and therefore part of his kingdom, put him in danger, particularly if he suddenly wasn't her favorite person anymore.

He glanced at her "That might be useful. I'll have to take this into consideration." Raziya made a noise of outrage while Sadira beamed. Suddenly, the Black Sand at Sadira's feet rose up and lunged, moving towards her, but she waved her hand and it stopped.

"Sorry," she said "it's a little harder to control than average sand."

Mozenrath quirked an eyebrow "I suggest you learn to control it better, before we do anything else." Raziya looked almost too pleased with herself.

Sadira moved forward "Oh, I have control of it now! See?" She waved her hand and the Black Sand rose up, shaping itself into a likeness of Raziya.

"My hips are _not_ that wide." The Egyptian growled. Mozenrath suddenly had the urge to hit his head against a wall, but restrained himself. Soon enough Sadira would be out of his face, and without the competition Raziya would probably be much more… sociable.

Sadira smirked "I never had a problem with that sort of thing."

"With having a figure? I can see-"

"How long did it take you to figure out how to manipulate the sand?" Mozenrath interrupted.

Sadira considered, but with her concentration interrupted, the Black Sand took advantage and lunged at her. She threw her hands up again to force it back, but the sand had had a taste of freedom, and didn't seem to like being restrained. Still maintaining a partial likeness of Raziya, the sand threw itself at Sadira, who stumbled backwards in an attempt to put some distance between her and the attacking blob. Sadira gritted her teeth, trying to retake the lost control over the sand, and waved her hands, hoping to dispel the Raziya-blob attacking her. Mozenrath and Raziya watched impatiently from the table, waiting for Sadira to regain control as she backpedaled wildly.

Mozenrath looked behind her, looking to see if there was something she might break with her wild arm waving, when he caught sight of a large black orb, the inside swirling gray, sitting placidly on a stand by a bookshelf. Sadira was heading straight for it.

His stomach dropped to his toes "No! Don't break the orb!" He lifted his gauntleted hand, intending to subdue the sand, but it was too late.

With a final lunge the Black Sand pushed Sadira back into the stand. She stumbled, the orb fell, and as it shattered the gray fog that had swirled inside it burst outwards with the force of a tidal wave, blinding everyone with a flash of bright white light.


	6. Chapter 6

**Disclaimer:** Aladdin and any characters, setting, and plots therein are the sole property of Disney. Raziya, the OC, is my sole property and may not be used without my permission.

**A/N:** Not too much to say on this one. It took me a little longer than usual because classes have started back up again and I am busy with schoolwork. Updates might take a little longer, but please know I don't plan on dropping the story… it's put me through too much hell.

Enjoy!

**Chapter 6: The Sandstorm**

Aladdin was going to kill him.

"That parrot has squawked his last!"

Well, if the Sultan didn't get to him first.

Three months had passed since Mozenrath's gauntlet had been stolen. Three long, paranoia fill months while Agrabah had prepared for the worst Mozenrath could offer. The guards were outfitted with new equipment, the people fortified their homes, the city stockpiled food and medicine, and then they waited.

And nothing happened.

It was likely that having a new ally (because it was more than clear that Raziya was the woman who'd stolen the gauntlet) may have thrown a cog into Mozenrath's collective gears. He was a solo operator, trusting only himself to handle the greater part of his plans, and if he did subcontract, he was almost paranoid in the way he watched his subordinates. But now he had an ally, someone that Aladdin didn't know how to fight. He'd never even seen the girl, and while Iago and Abu had confirmed that she was connected to Mirage, they didn't know how much. Were illusions the extent of her powers? She clearly had the upper hand over their guards, the man she'd snuck up on during her robbery had been sent home to his distraught family, dumb to the world, awake but not there. Mozenrath had the advantage again, and knew it. Despite his impatience, Mozenrath wasn't stupid. He'd bide his time, get a feel for Raziya's powers juxtaposed with his own and then strike.

Agrabah couldn't wait for him though. Slowly, things had gone back to normal, though there was a feeling of nervousness in the air. When would Mozenrath strike? What would he do? How would Raziya help him, and just how powerful was she? Agrabah might have gone back to her original state, but there was a subtle difference in the way things were running. Trade demands for food, water and medicine had skyrocketed, and the Egyptian luxuries that had been so well received before were practically useless. In fact, worried that Raziya's actions might have upset Agrabah and cut off valuable trade to Deshret, Thabit, the head of the ruling family in Deshret and magistrate to the Pharaoh, had traveled to Agrabah in order to set things right.

Initially, this had worked well.

Thabit was an older gentleman, tall and thin with a shiny bald head and a long, graying beard, and had been well received by the Sultan's court. He was polite, a bit of a show off, but respectful, and had engaged Jasmine in a political debate that had left the rest of the court absolutely flummoxed. He'd brought an entire caravan of gifts to the palace and Agrabah, and swore up down and sideways that Raziya had not only been exiled from Egypt, but cast out of her family. Once the pomp and circumstance of the evening had subsided, the Sultan had invited Thabit to join them for dinner out in the garden.

And this was where things took a nosedive.

The table had been set for a private party, only the Sultan, Thabit, Aladdin and Jasmine would be seated there, and Genie was more than happy to provide some entertainment, much to Thabit's delight. Halfway through their second course, they'd heard a loud crash coming from the direction of the kitchens. When no other sounds disrupted them, they resumed their meal, and Genie resumed juggling bowls of pomegranates. The conversation resumed, and Jasmine took up the political debate again.

Or at least she tried to. It probably would have gone a lot better if Iago didn't come flying out of the palace, straight for their table, screaming "It's coming! It's coming!"

Aladdin leapt up "What's coming?" but his response was a face full of feathers. Iago attached himself to Aladdin's head, talons digging into his skin, shaking like a leaf.

The Sultan rose to his feet "What is the meaning of this?"

Aladdin pulled Iago off and instantly the parrot started jabbering away "Something's coming! Something big! Something bad! Ask the monkey! He can feel it too!"

As if on cue Abu shot out of the palace and right into Jasmine's lap, making himself as small as he possibly could while trying to cover himself up with her long hair, clearly terrified. She patted his back gently "What's wrong Abu?"

Iago waved his wings around, sending indigo and red feathers everywhere, including into the food "I just told you something's coming!"

"What's coming?" Aladdin demanded again. It'd be just like Mozenrath to-

"A _sandstorm_!"

There was a pause and then Thabit said "Sandstorms are unusual here?"

Jasmine sighed "No, Thabit, they aren't. I'm sorry for the interruption-"

Before anyone could stop him, Iago took flight and dive-bombed at Thabit, landing on the Egyptian's face "It's gonna be a big one folks!"

This alone would have been enough to at least disrupt a perfectly fine dinner, but Iago and Abu were not the only animals in the palace. There was also a very large, very vicious looking tiger, and said tiger came out of the palace and made straight for the table, where Jasmine was seated next to Thabit. Anyone who knew Rajah knew he was only dangerous to other, smaller animals and would never hurt a human, but Thabit didn't, and all Thabit saw was a massive tiger running straight for him…

"Ra help me!" He screamed, scrambling out of the way as Rajah, in his haste to get to Jasmine knocked into a very confused Genie, sending pomegranates flying along with the table heavily laden with food that promptly went flying in every direction, covering everyone head to foot with food.

When the dust cleared, so to speak, Rajah was tucked against Jasmine, who had managed to at least get to her feet to avoid being pinned to the ground by a five hundred pound tiger. Abu had jumped from her lap and into Aladdin's outstretched hands and had promptly hidden inside his tunic, while Iago flapped around their heads in circles, sending feathers everywhere. Thabit was covered in food, the Sultan had been knocked to the ground, and Jasmine was struggling to stay upright, trying to push Rajah away while he did his best to hide himself against her.

Genie, covered in food, blinked, and then said "So… how about that spinach dip?"

It only took Thabit a few seconds to go from terrified to infuriated, and the Sultan was right there with him. The two were passing around the throne room, bellowing obscenities (well, Thabit was), shaking their fists in the air. Fortunately, every other word from Thabit usually entailed something to the effect of "Not your fault, of course, not a reflection of Agrabah in any way…" before he resumed screaming and the Sultan would respond with something like "I do appreciate it, Thabit…" before threatening to serve Iago up for a midnight snack.

Of course, Aladdin was right there with them, but he'd at least had the patience (and mostly unsoiled clothing) to give it a moment of thought. Yes, tonight's disaster was Iago's fault, but he didn't usually act like this due to a simple sandstorm. Sure, his animal intuition would kick in, and he'd be in an even fouler mood than usual, but he knew better than to disturb an important political meeting or dinner. Abu would have just curled up in Aladdin's pillows and Rajah would sometimes duck under Jasmine's bed, but they rarely acted like this. Which made Aladdin wonder… what kind of sandstorm would do this?

It didn't take long to find out. By morning the sandstorm had hit, and within an hour it had filled the streets and houses with at least two feet of sand. The entire city had been shut down while people shut themselves inside their houses, and invited visiting merchants inside to get out of the foul storm. The guards had been forced to halt patrol and while the palace had been closed off as well, that hadn't stopped sand from getting into the most unusual places. Including Jasmine's bed.

"This is intolerable…" she grumbled while trying to brush the grit out of her sheets.

"A little sand bothering you princess?" Aladdin, who'd slept in the streets during sandstorms and found the palace extremely comfortable in comparison.

Jasmine was not amused and it took Aladdin ten minutes to get the sand out of his pants.

The day went on like this, with everyone getting more and more irritated. When would the sandstorm blow past? Usually they only lasted a few hours, but they'd been known to go on for days, and while they were more irritating than anything, they could be destructive, particularly when they lasted longer. Dinner was spent in the dining room, listening to the howl of the wind and trying to ignore the grit of sand against teeth. It was a quiet affair, with little conversation, though the atmosphere was friendly enough, given the circumstances. Everything changed though, when Razoul burst into the room.

"Your highness, majesty," he looked completely shocked and at a loss, a position Aladdin didn't usually find Razoul in, and didn't even shoot his usual glare at Aladdin, just bowed respectively and said hurriedly "You're needed immediately."

The Sultan sighed "Oh, can't it wait until after dinner Razoul. If it's anything to do with the storm we can only wait it out…"

"Oh it's to do with the storm alright." He stuck his head out the door and waved to someone out of sight "I think we may have found the cause."

A moment later he stood aside and Sadira came into view, looking guilty and exhausted. Next to her was Raziya, looking more than a little worse for wear. Both of them were covered head to toe in dirt and sand, and one side of Raziya's dress was stained red.

Thabit stood "You, traitor, how dare you-!"

"Hold your tongue, old man." Raziya said, sounding out of breath. She and Sadira eyed the dinner table hungrily "I didn't cause this, I don't have that kind of power."

Sadira stepped forward "I started a small one," then she held up her hands imploringly when the Sultan started to speak "but I can't make anything this big, or keep it going! We… we need help… I…" her chin wobbled and her eyes watered. Jasmine immediately rose and put an arm around her, but Raziya had already disappeared.

Aladdin, followed by everyone else, rushed out of the room to find her, but she hadn't gone far. She was in the throne room, surrounded by guards and the palace doctor, the two of them hunched over a prone figure on the floor, talking hurriedly. Aladdin drew closer, careful to keep Raziya in his line of sight. She glowered, but backed away when Aladdin drew near, giving him a full view of the prone figure. It was Mozenrath, clearly unconscious, the entire right side of his robes torn and bloodied, his face sallower than usual, stained in places with more blood.

Raziya watched as the others drew closer then pointed outside "Your city won't last long without him." She scowled and they followed her gaze towards the window, where the sandstorm could be seen, once a wall of dust and grit, it was slowly turning darker and darker, slowly becoming a solid wall of black sand.


	7. Chapter 7

**Disclaimer:** Aladdin and any characters, setting, and plots therein are the sole property of Disney. Raziya, the OC, is my sole property and may not be used without my permission.

**A/N:** An extra-long chapter to make up for the wait. There's been a lot going on over here school-wise, but I decided to take a couple days this weekend to work on my stories. Please pardon the typos, I was more concerned with posting after such a long wait and didn't really edit it too well…

I hope you enjoy this chapter; we're finally starting to get to the good stuff. Let me know what you think.

**Chapter 7: A Story to Tell**

Mozenrath was moved to the doctor's quarters where he could be better treated, Aladdin, Jasmine and Genie following behind very closely while Raziya and Sadira were questioned. The doctor's quarters were in the very center of the palace, near the guard's barracks, which was convenient because Razoul didn't want Mozenrath anywhere in the palace without at least four guards nearby. Aladdin had taken his gauntlet at first opportunity and locked it in a chest that he was keeping a very close eye on. He doubted Mozenrath would worry about it immediately upon waking up. He was near death after all.

The marks on his side and chest were a bloody mess, but shallow enough that Sadira's rough patch job had kept the sorcerer from bleeding out on the journey here. The doctor, nurses at his side, had no idea what had caused the wounds though. On first inspection they looked like burn marks, but had turned a purplish black when exposed to the light and air. Just breathing seemed to be causing Mozenrath excoriating pain, and his breathe was shallow and light, interspersed with wincing. Xerxes, who'd apparently hidden himself inside Mozenrath's robes and had only made an appearance when the clothes had been cut away from the injury, hovered near Mozenrath's face, trying to rouse his master.

"Genie," Jasmine murmured, eyeing the injuries "can you do anything? Can you ease the pain?"

Genie leaned in and examined the wounds, wincing in sympathy "I'm not sure, Jazz." He glanced out a nearby window "Whatever's causing this sandstorm caused this wound… and it might just make it worse to blend magics."

"The herbs seem to be helping ease the pain." The doctor said, quietly dabbing the weeping injuries with clean cloth dipped in salves. He was a calm man, from India, with a kind but stern demeanor "But if we do not figure out the cause, we may not be able to help the boy heal properly. Infection alone could kill him."

"What about honey?" Everyone turned and found Raziya, changed into a clean dress, leaned in the doorway. "It helps prevent infections, soothes irritated skin."

"It is also hard to come by." The doctor said. "Very expensive."

"I'll see if the kitchen has any." Jasmine said, moving carefully to avoid disrupting Mozenrath and leaving the room.

Only a moment after she'd left Razoul entered the room, shackles in his hands and moved towards Mozenrath before the doctor stopped him "What are you doing?"

"Mozenrath is dangerous, you know that." Razoul growled "I won't risk the Sultan's safety."

"He's also badly wounded and in no condition to fight or attack anyone. He needs rest, not to be treated like a prisoner. I won't allow it."

Razoul opened his mouth to argue, then shrugged "Fine, but when he slits your throat in the middle of the night, don't ask me to give your burial rites." With an annoyed grumble he turned and left, then shouted back at his guards "And someone keep an eye on the Egyptian witch!"

When Jasmine came back, two pots of honey in hand with a servant carrying two more, it was Raziya who prepared it, adding milk and some wine to make a paste that she soaked rags in and applied to the wound. Let it rest overnight, she said, and then change the bandage in the morning with the same mixture. Mozenrath never twitched while she treated him with slow, measure movements to avoid disturbing and exasperating his injuries. She gave only a sparing glance to Mozenrath's right arm, and then wrapped another set of those bandages around the spot where muscle and sinew gave way to chipped bone. The doctor then shooed everyone out, except Aladdin, who positioned himself on some pillows across from Mozenrath's prone form while the doctor slipped into his adjacent room to sleep.

Which was a luxury Aladdin couldn't afford.

He had to stay awake. He had to keep an eye on Mozenrath. Who knew what he'd dragged them all into? Who knew what he had planned? Aladdin didn't and Raziya wasn't offering any answers. Sadira, in her shameful terror, had told them everything she knew, but it was clear she'd been lied to and deceived by Mozenrath, and no blame was placed on her, given the circumstances. Nothing she'd told them was of any use, and no amount of threats could sway Raziya. Even the threat of Genie, however hollow, couldn't shake her, and Aladdin suspected they were dealing with someone much more like Mirage than they'd originally thought.

Mozenrath slept on with Xerxes draped around his head, muttering in his sleep, occasionally frowning or wincing, but otherwise didn't stir and Aladdin burned with irritation and fatigue "What were you planning?" He muttered to no one.

"Talking to yourself?" Aladdin turned and found Raziya framed in the doorway, looking tired but haughty as ever. "They say that's the first sign of madness."

"What are you doing here?"

She stepped through the doorway and lounged into one of the many piles of pillows the doctor kept in his office for his patients. "The guards just finished interrogating me, as did the Sultan. I was hoping for a moment of peace."

Aladdin tipped his head back against the cool marble wall "You could just tell us what we want to know. It'd save a lot of trouble."

She shrugged "I don't know that it matters much now. Whatever the plan was, Mozenrath has more concerns now, doesn't he?"

"What happened out there anyway?"

She went still, and gazed out the slats of the shutters to where the sandstorm blotted out the starlight. "I'm not sure. Sadira was being childish, manipulating sand indoors, and broke an orb in Mozenrath's study. There was flash of light, a gust of wind that knocked us all to the ground, and in the next moment Mozenrath was being attacked by the sand." She tilted her head and continued staring out the window, thinking. Her green eyes glowed in the dim light of the room, and Aladdin fought off the urge to ask her about Mirage. "Sadira managed to keep it at bay while I dragged him to safety, but a moment later the entire Citadel was being attacked. We fled, using Sadira's powers to get here."

Aladdin couldn't help but wonder if maybe she wasn't being entirely truthful. Something seemed very off about her diving to Mozenrath's rescue. It seemed more likely that she would have fled while Sadira did the rescuing, but there was no way to know for sure and Aladdin didn't have enough of a reason to ask her about it.

A moment of quiet passed before Raziya spoke again "You seem concerned about him."

Aladdin glanced at her, and then back at Mozenrath "He's dangerous, he can't be left unguarded."

"Ah, yes. You see him as a threat." She glanced at Mozenrath, watched him sleep for a moment, before saying "There's always the guards? They're more suited to this than the prince consort."

"What are you getting at?"

Raziya smiled and looked down "Me? Nothing, nothing at all. I just wonder if, perhaps… but no. Not you." She picked at a loose thread on one of the pillows "Not a hero."

He sighed, "Raziya, I don't-"

"If it were me I would. I'm sure Mozenrath wouldn't give it a second thought, but then again you aren't like us, are you? You're… noble."

"What are you talking-?"

"Yes, very noble," she continued. "Even in Egypt we hear about your adventures, your valor. You'd never wish ill on anyone…" She finally looked back up; eyes glowing slightly in the dim lighting and making Aladdin cringe "would you?"

Aladdin frowned, starting to see where she was going. "No," he said slowly "never."

"Not even Mozenrath?" She asked idly, smoothing her dress "He's one of your greatest enemies after all…" She glanced over at the unconscious figure again before looking back at Aladdin "You'd never wish he were dead?"

Aladdin sat forward, ready to reply, but she cut him off "You're a hero, after all." She smiled "Even with him so close to death right now," she lowered her voice, and tilted her head "you'd never wish death on anyone, not even your enemies. Would you, Aladdin?"

Aladdin glared at her, mouth open, wondering just where in the conversation he'd lost control… or if he'd ever even had it. "No one deserves to die like this."

Her grin widened into something wicked, baring fang-like canines, and she carefully stood up, brushing the creases out of her dress "Perhaps you aren't as noble as I thought."

"What do you mean?"

"You didn't say no." She moved to the door, humming lightly, and then turned at the door, and framed from the light in the hall if Aladdin really looked, he could almost see Mirage standing there in her place. He blinked, found Raziya smirking at him, then scowled as she murmured "Sweet dreams, Aladdin." Even the way she said his name, with a slight accent from lack of practice with Arabic, sounded like Mirage.

A moment later she had disappeared and Aladdin was left staring at the empty space with nothing but the darkness and lingering smell of honey, milk and oddly enough, pomegranates for company. He sighed, rubbed his eyes and sat back, leaning against the wall again, annoyed with himself. He'd let Raziya get into his head. He'd forgotten just how Mirage liked to work. She wasn't like Mozenrath, who preferred subtle plans laced with brutality, no, Mirage, and apparently Raziya, like to get inside your thoughts, read your emotions, and then use them to destroy you. And Raziya was good. He hadn't really started to catch on until it was too late, and even then he-

He sighed, slumped back and stared at Mozenrath, hating him. Where did he dig up these people, these lackeys he found? And how much luck would it take to just stumble across Mirage's protégé and subcontract her? Aladdin wouldn't be surprised if this was all some grand scheme Mirage was setting up so she could use Mozenrath to destroy Agrabah and take the spoils for herself, using Raziya manipulate the sorcerer. Even if it was Mozenrath, he was still just a man.

Aladdin glanced at Mozenrath's still figure and found Xerxe's glowing eyes gazing at him. He didn't want Mozenrath dead. Far, far away certainly, but not dead, he'd simply been caught off guard. If he'd been paying attention he could have caught Raziya at her game, and thrown it back at her. He wasn't above admitting that when he'd first seen Mozenrath sprawled on the floor, still as a statue and unconscious that Aladdin had hoped- but it was more for the kingdom. Mozenrath being gone in any capacity could only be a benefit, but Aladdin didn't necessarily mean dead. Just… gone. Anyone could change and everyone deserved the chance to.

_But hasn't Mozenrath already had his second chance?_ Whispered a voice in the back of his head. _Hasn't he had plenty of second and third and fourth chances? Hasn't he had all the opportunities in the world to become something better? To use his powers for something different? Something good? Wouldn't it be better if he _was_-?_

"Aladdin?"

Aladdin jumped and turned to see Jasmine, dressed for bed, moving towards him, looking tired and concerned. "Jasmine, what are you doing up?"

She knelt down next to him, and touched his hand "I couldn't sleep. How long have been sitting here?"

"All night."

Her eyes widened "Aladdin, Mozenrath isn't going anywhere. He's too hurt, look at him…" she threw a glance over her shoulder, then looked back at Aladdin and touched his face "Go to bed. We can't do anything until he wakes up and tells us what's attacking the city."

She took his arm, as if to escort him to his room, but he pulled back "Someone has to keep an eye on him, what if he's-?"

Jasmine smiled then called out "Genie?"

A poof of smoke later and Genie was standing there in a long striped nightshirt, night cap and clutching a stuffed animal, blinking around blearily. "What's going on guys?" He yawned. "Are we having a slumber party?"

"No Genie. Could you to keep an eye on Mozenrath so Aladdin can get some sleep?"

Another poof of smoke and Genie had changed into a set of green and brown army fatigues, with a gun in his hand. He saluted Jasmine and shouted "Sir yes, sir!" The promptly began pacing in front of Mozenrath much in the same way the guards would have. Aladdin glanced at Xerxes and found that he'd closed his eyes, but Aladdin knew he'd heard every word, had probably never really been asleep.

Jasmine pulled Aladdin to his feet and linked her arm with his, leading him to his chambers "There. Everything's going to be fine, okay? Now get some rest."

"I hope you're right Jasmine."

The next morning the entire palace was awake and buzzing with activity. Mozenrath still hadn't woken up, but it wouldn't be long, the doctor said. He'd lived through the night and when the bandages were changed the wound was no longer swollen and angry looking, but still needed to be treated delicately and they kept the salve Raziya made on it. Everyone else, however, was rushing around the palace, making arrangements to get food through the city and evacuate the merchants and traders that were so far from home. The Sultan was stern and grumpy, Jasmine obviously felt no better, but Raziya was absolutely lavishing in the chaos. Aladdin hadn't seen Sadira all morning.

It was noon before the traders and merchants had gotten the chance to leave, when there was a short break in the sandstorm. It was a quick affair, and the break was taken advantage of to its fullest. Guards, followed by Aladdin, Jasmine and Genie, rushed around fortifying the city, passing out necessary supplies and helping homeowners remove sand from their homes so their could be better prepared when it came back and it would come back. Everyone could see the wall of black moving closer in the distance, as if whatever was causing it was just biding its time, waiting for its chance to do the most damage.

When Aladdin and Jasmine had moved to the palace to help fortify there, the sandstorm started back up again, with even more ferocity than before. Everyone had to shout to be heard over the howling winds and the servants were run ragged trying to block cracks in the doors and windows to keep black sand from getting inside, and there was twice as much in the doctor's quarters than anywhere else, almost as if the sand was concentrating its efforts there. It was an hour into the renewed storm that Mozenrath finally woke up.

Jasmine, Sadira and Raziya, the former having volunteered, the latter being bribed, were stuffing rags into the cracks around the windows when he'd groaned and promptly tried to sit up, startling the girls with his cry of pain. While Jasmine and Sadira went to help Raziya smirked and said "Won't try that again, will you?"

He bared his teeth at her and growled "Of all places you could have brought me…"

"I _could_ have left you." Raziya snapped, moving forward "I _could_ have let them get you killed with their silly little herb salves-"

"Raziya, enough," Jasmine said firmly, and then turned towards Mozenrath "What is going on?"

He grimaced and finally managed to sit up, flapping his hand at Sadira to chase her off "Why princess I haven't the slightest idea-"

Her eyes flashed "Mozenrath, that sandstorm has been ravaging the city for two days with black sand, and _you_ brought it here. If you don't want to be left out in the middle of it, you will tell me what's going on. _Now_."

He glared at her, but consented "Gather your little friends. I only want to say this once."

Jasmine glared, but yelled out to the guards waiting outside the room "Guards, bring Aladdin and my father here immediately. Mozenrath's awake."

When they arrived, bursting through the doors with Genie in tow, Aladdin immediately charged forward "Talk."

"Some diplomacy, Aladdin," Mozenrath mocked, clicking his tongue in a reprimanding sound "you're going to be sultan someday, you should learn to be more patient."

Raziya frowned and glanced at Mozenrath from where she sat, changing his bandages again, as his sudden movement had irritated the skin. "You forget," she murmured "that you don't have your gauntlet." Mozenrath glanced down at his hand, as if seeing the bones for the first time, and then at Raziya, who'd gone back to her work, ignoring his penetrating look.

The Sultan crossed his arms over his chest "Mozenrath, we have treated you as a guest. The least you owe us is any explanation."

"Fair enough," he ground out, his jaw clenched, clearly annoyed at being told he owed anyone anything. "But first, a few questions of my own: how long have I been unconscious?"

"Two days," Raziya answered "at least."

He looked down at his wound and frowned, pushing her hands away "It should have been worse…" he murmured, allowing her to continue working "Perhaps the spell weakened him-?"

"Weakened who?" Jasmine asked.

He shook his head "Agrabah still stands?"

Aladdin quirked an eyebrow "Would you be in the palace if it wasn't?"

Mozenrath narrowed his eyes, but then asked "How many dead?"

The Sultan frowned "I beg your-?"

"How many citizens? How many dead?"

"None" said Aladdin "that we know of."

"Thank goodness," Sadira muttered.

Mozenrath considered, glancing at the window where the sandstorm could be heard, raging outside, winds howling. A sudden gust threw open the shutters and Genie and Aladdin rushed forward to secure them before too much sand could get inside, though most of it seemed targeted at Mozenrath. When the shutters were subdued and the sand brushed out of the way by Sadira, Mozenrath smirked, but it wasn't his usual gloating expression. Now that Aladdin really got a good look at him, Mozenrath looked pale and drawn, with deep shadows under his eyes and hollow cheeks. He'd always been lean and ropey looking, but he'd never looked so hungry or tired before.

Finally Mozenrath spoke, still gazing at the window "When I tried to change bodies with Aladdin, it was out of necessity. At the time, the gauntlet was killing me... it always will." He smirked at Sadira's gasp "The price for power. When Destane stumbled across the gauntlet, he never knew what it could do, what it was capable of. But I did. I had hoped to find a source of strength before it had killed me, but, alas…" he glanced at Aladdin "Desperate times, desperate measures."

"What does all this have to do with the sandstorm?" Jasmine asked.

He quirked an eyebrow "Patience, Princess. There's an art to things like this." Smiling at her glare, he continued "When I took the power from Destane, I realized his life force would be a useful last resort when the gauntlet had taken its toll. I never really killed him. Just locked that life essence in the orb Sadira broke." He sneered at her.

Aladdin, realizing where this was going, gaped "But you still tried to steal my-"

"If I had used Destane's life force, he would have taken over." Mozenrath said "I would have died anyway. I decided, before even meeting you Aladdin, not to use it, but there was no way to destroy it without releasing him."

Genie gaped "You mean that sandstorm is-?"

He looked at Aladdin "Destane is the one attacking your city, and until he kills me and gets his revenge, he'll keep attacking."


	8. Chapter 8

**Disclaimer:** Aladdin and any characters, setting, and plots therein are the sole property of Disney. Raziya, the OC, is my sole property and may not be used without my permission.

**A/N:** Another extra long chapter to make up for the wait. I'm sorry that this took so long to get published for you guys, but I've been getting ready to move and transfer to another school, and got distracted. And, as usual, I hate the ending and the chapter title, but I'm rather proud of the rest.

I hope the chapter makes up for it. Enjoy!

Clearly I am completely inept with computers as this is at least the second time I've mis-posted. Please forgive me. My brain has finally just tossed its hands up and left, abandoning me to suffer with my common sense. Obviously, we're all doomed.

**Chapter 8: Agrabah's Peril**

Raziya stood, finished with her work, and said "Pardon my ignorance, but-"

"Destane was a powerful sorcerer, the most powerful in the seven deserts." Mozenrath glanced up at her, black eyes amused, and smirked "Or, at least he was until I locked him away in the orb Sadira broke." Ignoring Sadira's sigh of guilt Mozenrath continued "Destane was before your time, but he was well known, even in Egypt, for his cruelty and… creativity. A dangerous madman, he sought to control the deserts."

"And this is different from you… how?" Aladdin asked, crossing his arms over his chest.

Mozenrath waved a hand, carefully moving to sit up. Xerxes tugged a pillow upwards to better support his master's shoulders and then draped himself across it as Mozenrath continued "To you, the difference is trivial, but my motivations aren't political, or power-hungry." Jasmine scoffed, and Mozenrath frowned "I'm not Destane, who wanted to rule the world simply for the sake of ruling it. I want the world, certainly, but not to rule it. I want what's in it." At Raziya's lifted eyebrow and Jasmine's skeptical glance Mozenrath shrugged "I tried to tell you. The difference is trivial, but it's there. I'm not Destane." He finished with a firm insistence Aladdin wasn't used to. Clearly it was accusation Mozenrath was used to hearing.

"Clearly," Raziya smoothed her dress, a habit Aladdin was beginning to think was a nervous tic, and sat on the cushions at Mozenrath's feet "but how do we stop him? He's an entity made entirely of sand and magic now, with no body to destroy…"

"What happens if he goes back to his body?" Sadira asked.

"He won't."

"How do you-?"

"Not only won't but can't." Mozenrath interrupted with a perturbed growl and Xerxes slithered away in fright, eventually drifting over to Raziya and draping himself in her lap, where she stroked his head idly. "His body is too fragile, too decayed from time… and rigor mortis." Aladdin cringed, remembering the dead look in the mamluk's eyes the first time he'd met Mozenrath. "Besides, even if his body had been better preserved, what would be the advantage? A mortal body, with weaknesses and needs that's easily destroyed, as I've proven? No. Like this, he's more powerful than ever. Far more dangerous."

Sultan stepped forward, looking grimmer than Aladdin had ever seen him "Mozenrath, how much danger are my people in?"

"He'll tear Agrabah apart brick by brick to get to me."

The Sultan sighed, his shoulders sagging. "Then we can't even evacuate the city. My people are doomed." Jasmine wrapped her arms around his shoulders.

"Not necessarily." Raziya stared at the window, the shutters rattling with more ferocity than before. Her fingers stopped preening Xerxes and he sighed in disappointment "Destane… was he always so… determined?"

"Hmph, hardly." Mozenrath sneered "The man was powerful, dangerous, and smart enough, but he lacked real motivation. He wouldn't have been defeated by a teenager if he'd had any real desire to rule the world."

Raziya narrowed her eyes "So this obsessive need for revenge… that's new?"

Mozenrath sighed, but Aladdin saw exactly where she was going with this and grinned. He'd often used Mozenrath's single mindedness to take him down in a fight, and while they couldn't exactly take Destane out of the picture, they might be able to distract him long enough to get the people out of the city.

"I've already told you, yes, why are you-?"

Aladdin interrupted "Genie, can you make yourself look like Mozenrath?" Both Genie and Mozenrath froze, eyed each other, cringed, but a poof of smoke later and there was a carbon copy of Mozenrath standing in the room, looking very uncomfortable.

"Yeah, but why Al?" Genie's voice coming out of Mozenrath's mouth was more than a little disturbing.

"Because you're gong to distract him. Destane is so obsessed with getting Mozenrath; he won't notice the people escaping."

Jasmine frowned "But won't Destane notice the difference?"

Aladdin frowned "What difference, they're identical?"

Raziya snorted "No, they're not. Mozenrath's cheekbones are higher, and his jaw is much narrower." Everyone ignored the tinge of pink to Mozenrath's cheeks and Xerxes stifled a snicker.

Sadira frowned "His eyes are more lidded, lazier looking."

Jasmine nodded "Mozenrath is leaner too, with thicker hair."

Aladdin was more than a little concerned that not only Sadira, but Jasmine had noticed all the smaller details in Mozenrath's appearance, but now that they pointed them out, it was obvious. With the necessary adjustments, they really did have a carbon copy of Mozenrath standing in the room, and when Raziya stood, Xerxes across her shoulders like a scarf, and forced Genie to stand straighter and cross his arms over his chest, it was all Aladdin could do to avoid tackling him.

Mozenrath shook his head "What about after? I can't move or be moved for a while."

The Sultan stepped forward "I'll have my guards fortify a section of the palace well away from any windows. We'll take refuge there until all this is sorted out."

"We?"

"You, Raziya and I."

Jasmine cleared her throat and crossed her arms over her chest "If you think for one moment that I'm leaving you alone here with these two…"

Aladdin stepped in "And if Jasmine stays I stay."

"I'm with Al." piped up Genie, and several of the guards moved forward, Razoul among them, to volunteer to stay behind in order to guard the Sultan.

Iago swooped into the room, Abu in tow from where they'd been eavesdropping and shrugged "Ah what the heck, I'm in too. Someone's gotta protect the treasure." Abu nodded.

Raziya sighed "Touching as all this is," she drawled lazily "I doubt the Genie's distraction will grant you that much time." She swiped her hand, and the disguise fell away, leaving a very confused Genie to peer at Raziya curiously "One swat and he's back to normal."

"Genie, can you make copies?"

Another poof and the room was full of sneering and snarling Mozenrath's, and again Aladdin fought the urge to throw punches. "Better Raziya?" One of them grinned.

She smirked "Oh yes, impressive, at least until…" she swiped her hand again and once more the disguise fell away, along with the clones. Genie frowned at her, but didn't comment. "If I can do that, think what Destane must be able to do."

"Okay Raziya," Sadira stepped forward, crossing her arms over her chest. "If you're so clever, you think of something."

Raziya's smirk widened, her eyes glowed bright green, and in a hazy instant, the room was once again full of Mozenrath's, all absolutely identical and down to the slightest detail. The original Mozenrath gazed around the room, eyes suddenly lit up, and Aladdin frowned, not liking the sudden look of inspiration on his drawn face. Genie floated over to one, drew a hand back and swiped through it, but only the one was disrupted, leaving behind a smeared image as though wet painted had been smudged.

"Hey, that's pretty good…" Genie said grudgingly as the image reformed into a copy of Mozenrath, brushing dust from his cloak.

One of them strode over to Sadira, smirk a little too feline, and taunted "Your move, little witch." The voice, lighter and slightly raspier, was close enough to pass as Mozenrath's but it was clear that this was Raziya in disguise.

Sadira cleared her throat, lifted her hands, muttered an incantation under her breath and after a moment sand began sliding along the floor and into the room, pulling from cracks and crevices in the walls, under the cushions in the office, off of their clothes and hair and away from hidden corners. It undulated as Sadira bit her lip in concentration, sweat beading on her forehead as she moved around it, shifting and pulling it into Mozenrath's likeness, or at least one close enough to pass a cursory glance.

Mozenrath frowned "My nose isn't that big."

Raziya, still disguised as Mozenrath, turned to him and said in an affronted voice "You see? The girl has no eye for detail!"

Sadira pulled away from her creation with a proud smile "Twenty minutes and a pile of sand, and I can have about, oh, fifteen, twenty of these."

"Perfect, the three of you will meet with my guards in an hour." The Sultan said, looking relieved.

Most of the Mozenrath's disappeared and Raziya remerged. "Ahem, three? I think not…"

"Raziya…" Razoul growled, and she held up a hand.

"My magic might be advanced, but I'm not built for battle."

The Sultan reached into robes, looking determined and pulled out a handful of gold coins. "If you agree, Raziya, you'll be rewarded in you weight in gold."

She considered, and then pointed at Razoul "Make it his weight."

"Done."

"I am your humble servant, oh wise Sultan." She bowed low and mockingly, and then picked her head up to look at him evenly "At least until the battle's through."

"Razoul, collect your guards and meet me in the war room in ten minutes to plan our escape route. Jasmine, have the servants prepare as many supplies as can be spared for the refugees. Aladdin, have the guards remaining here fortify and stock the inner chambers and get Mozenrath moved there immediately. Genie, Sadira, and Raziya, you three remain here and plan out your battle strategy. We meet again at the palace doors in an hour."

The hour flew by, at least from Aladdin's perspective. Not only did he supervise the fortifications of the Sultan's inner chamber, an odd combination of guest rooms and hidden chambers saved for wartime where royalty could remain well hidden from direct attack, but also Mozenrath's move there. The sorcerer was injured, badly, and near as Aladdin could tell it would be weeks before he was upright and moving again, let alone able to go to battle. Mozenrath could barely walk, and completely unable to maneuver himself through the complicated hallways and hidden passageways of the palace to the hidden inner chambers. It had been such slow going that eventually Aladdin had whistled for Carpet to swoop in and carry him the rest of the way. Despite Mozenrath's pitiful state Aladdin didn't so much as smirk at Mozenrath, for which the sorcerer was clearly grateful. If Aladdin had been in the same situation, he would have been more than a little embarrassed at being coddled like a child.

Settling him into a pile of cushions in the central chamber, Aladdin hoped on Carpet and zoomed off, reaching heavy palace doors just as everyone was congregating together. The Throne Room was full of sand, partly from the sandstorm, and partly for Sadira to make her mini-army of Mozenraths. Aladdin could see her working in the corner next to Genie, who offered the odd tip or two. A map was laid out in front of Raziya, and she was clearly trying to memorize the city's layout to keep herself concealed during the battle, but Aladdin had a better idea.

"Don't worry about that Raziya." He said, sliding off Carpet "All you need to do is keep the copies of Mozenrath going."

She frowned at him "And to do that, I need to keep myself out of the way. I have no intention of finding myself stuck down a dead end alley if Destane so much as glances my way."

"Which is why you'll be joining me on Carpet; we'll be zooming hundreds of feet in the air, and Destane will be too distracted by the copies to be concerned with us." She blinked, eyed the flying carpet hesitantly and nodded.

"That'll do, but I suppose now is not the time to mention my fear of heights?"

He smiled at her "Probably not."

A bark of laughter interrupted them, and both glanced to the side to find Sadira grinning "So, Miss Hoity-Toity is afraid of heights huh?"

Raziya narrowed her eyes "So I have a phobia. Shall we discuss all your insecurities, little sand witch? I'm sure Aladdin would love to hear how desperate you were for Mozenrath's attention just a few days ago?"

Aladdin quirked an eyebrow at the flushing Sadira, and made a subtle exit by sidling away and moving as quickly as he could over to Jasmine without actually running. He knew that look, having had it directed at him by both Sadira and Jasmine, and he had no intention of getting dragged into the middle of their tiff.

Jasmine took his hand as he drew near and squeezed his fingers "We're getting ready to move out now. I'm going to help the guards evacuate the people while you and the others distract Destane. We'll need at least an hour."

Raziya, looking annoyed and ready for a fight, interrupted from where she stood, squared off against Sadira, hands on her hips. "An hour?" She demanded, striding over, her dress rippling around her. "I can give you fifteen minutes, a half hour at most, but an hour?"

Sadira, smirking and smug looking, followed behind her "Really? An hour'll be easy for me."

Raziya practically growled, her eyes flashing as she whirled around "I was not classically trained, you little street urchin!" She snapped, her eyes glowing green with power. "I was too busy trying to raise my siblings with a semblance of competency!"

Jasmine and Aladdin glanced at each other. The reveal of her past was clearly unintentional on Raziya's part, and it was an interesting detail they'd keep in mind for later, but now was hardly the time for the two of them to go at it. Raziya's eyes were glowing with barely restrained power, and Sadira had her hands balled into fists at her sides, though sand undulated and shifted around her. Genie looked from one to the other in concern, and the guards had drawn their weapons, preparing for a battle, but Jasmine stepped forward, and Aladdin happily let her have the reins on this one.

"That's enough!" She bellowed "Both of you are acting like children!"

Sadira stepped back with a distinctly muttered "She started it." and Raziya whipped around, teeth bared, fang-like canines bared.

"Let's get this over with," Raziya spit out between grit teeth "while I am still in the mood."

Aladdin hopped on Carpet, and helped Raziya on before the two zoomed off through a window. Having only heard part of the plan, Aladdin was more than a little concerned that things would go horribly wrong. Things like this had a tendency to, at least as far as his plans were concerned, and once they'd gotten outside Aladdin realized just how much could go wrong. The sand, black and gritty, beat against Carpet with the force of a typhoon, and both he and Raziya were absolutely covered in it in seconds. Her long, thick black hair whipped around like an inky curtain, quickly tangling and knotting; but Raziya's eyes were already glowing with power, and in the distance he thought he heard Mozenrath's voice calling for Destane, but he couldn't make out the words.

Aladdin couldn't see a thing; everywhere he looked was thick with black grit and dust. Pulling upwards, Carpet fought his way through the storm until; finally, they burst out through the top and into fresh, unnaturally still and dry air. "Circle the storm Carpet; we have to lead him off!" Aladdin almost couldn't make out his own voice for the howling winds, but Carpet swooped down and around, maneuvering around the concentration of the storm.

Aladdin had seen sandstorms, and he'd flown over them, but he'd never seen anything like this. All black, it curved, like a great bowl, over Agrabah, cradling around the palace where it concentrated its efforts, leaving the rest of the surrounding desert unnaturally still. It looked as though someone had dropped a massive bubble over Agrabah to contain the storm, as its entire energy was concentrated on the city, not just passing through or around. Surrounding the great bowl of black were at least fifty copies of Mozenrath, circling around, waving their arms, trying to get Destane's attention, and boy were they getting it.

The sandstorm heaved, undulating upwards like a giant wave, pulling away from Agrabah and turning towards the crowd of Mozenraths. A great roar of sound shook the air, and Aladdin thought he could make out a few vague words, but there was no guarantee, as another instant later the wall of sand had crashed down towards the crowd of Mozenraths. Most of them had scattered, just barely missing being crushed, but many were swallowed by the sand and destroyed. In the distance, Aladdin could see Sadira waving her arms, pulling sand underneath her to rocket out of the way, riding it like a tidal wave away from the black grit that was Destane.

Aladdin swooped in low, maneuvering close to the feeling Sadira "C'mon! We'll lead him towards the cliffs and away from Agrabah! They need at least an hour to get everyone out of the city!"

With a nod Sadira redirected course and the two of them took off towards the cliffs in the distance.


End file.
